Review all of the activities online before you arrive. Don’t waste precious time on site with so many interesting people to talk to looking through lists of sessions. Try to schedule as much as you can beforehand using the handy schedule tool then put them into your calendar. You might change or revise based on new information onsite, but having a basic plan provides a solid foundation. You’ll hit the ground ready to connect.

2. Pace Yourself

I find conferences to be exhausting. Avoid burnout and brain death by finding ways to pace yourself. Take twenty minutes every morning and afternoon to do nothing – no email, no voicemail, no networking, no consuming anything work related. Go for a walk, sit quietly in your room or find a coffee shop with a quiet corner andjust relax.

3. Take a Tech Break

You are at the conference to connect with other people IRL (In Real Life). You can stare at your phone anytime, this is the time to put your phone and laptop away, walk up to the nearest person and introduce yourself. Having a phone or laptop in your face puts up a barrier, so invite conversation by disconnecting from your tech when you can and opening up to conversation.

4. Have a Tagline

You can easily meet up to 100 people or more over the course of the conference. You will be more memorable if you can state clearly and concisely where you focus – or want to focus. “I help nonprofits make good strategic decisions about technology” is much better than “I do a lot of different things for a lot of different organizations”. While your tasks may vary widely, it is easier for others to grasp if you can say it simply and concisely. If you are looking to adjust your focus, the conference a great place to practice stating that intention and helping it become your reality, i.e., “I am moving into doing more coaching of executive directors” or “I’m looking for a partner to write a book on integrating technology in strategic plans”. Introduce yourself with a personal tagline.

5. Learning Goal(s)

Your goal may be to finally meet that person whose blog you never miss, or to finally understand the differences between Tumblr and Slack. Give some thought to the goals that are your priority in the coming year and ask people about those goals. Have a website revision coming up? Make it a goal to talk to three people in similar size organizations who have been through it recently. Interested in moving to the cloud and want to know the most carbon-neutral options? Ask everyone you meet if they know the answer. Having some set questions also helps you move from just making small talk to having a more meaningful conversation.

6. Skip One Session Slot

While there is no shortage of outstanding education sessions, some of the best conversations happen in the hallway. You run into that person who asked a smart question in the last session, or you catch that person you’ve followed forever on social media. Look for a slot with sessions you are least excited about and skip that session slot. Walk around the halls, talk to vendors or conference staff, pull up some floor next to a fellow attendee and just talk. You can only absorb so much information, so your brain’s learning center will thank you.

7. Hit the Town

Keep your eyes out on the listservs, online and onsite for the many social events that happen around the conference. From informal get-togethers to tech specific gatherings to other ways of Making Connections, there are a lot of opportunities to connect with others in a casual, relaxed environment. You can spend time with your co-workers anytime – connect with people you don’t know. If you’ve never been to the host city and want to see some sights, take time to reflect on what you’ve been learning while you enjoy the town.

8. Be Comfortable

While we all want to look professional, try to find your most comfortable professional looks – especially shoes as you will do a a lot of walking. Skip the sweats and flip-flops but also avoid high heels or restrictive clothing. Hotel conference rooms are notorious for not being the right temperature for everyone and by the time someone corrects it, your session is over. Take control of this by wearing layers. A short sleeve shirt under a long sleeve shirt under a sweater or pullover gives you a lot of comfortable options.

9. Be a Responsible Learner

These are your sessions – don’t just let the presenters craft your learning experience, ask the questions you have. If something is unclear or they went over it to fast, stop them and ask for clarification. Ask yourself how you might use the concepts you just heard about. Imagine applying them to a situation you have or expect to encounter – what questions might arise when you go to implement this idea? By the same token, please don’t derail the session trying to get advice on a question that is not of interest to others – talk to the presenter afterwards.

10. Keep in Touch

In 2004 the conference was smaller, around 400 people. That made it easier to spend time with and meet everyone I wanted to meet. Now that attendance is pushing 2000, with such a large crowd I often only see people in passing I wanted to sit down with. Consider keeping list of folks to contact after the conference to set up a call or meet in person. If you think of it, when you get a business card from someone, write a few words on the card to remind you what topic you wanted to follow up with or what resource you offered to share.

Bonus Tip: Thank Your Hosts

Putting on a conference of this size is a massive undertaking and would not be possible without the dedicated, hard working NTEN staff. Sponsors and the vendors at the Science Fair are also crucial to the conference. Pleas join me in thanking these folks for their hard work and support whenever you get the chance.

I always look forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones at NTC, I hope you find some of these useful and would love to hear about any tips you have!

4 Responses to “Ten Nonprofit Technology Conference Tips”

John! Thank you so much for this terrific post – I wanted to second every one of these suggestions. After a decade of coming to the NTC, you’re certainly a pro. One thing I would add is that even though there is a large percentage of new attendees each year, the NTC is everyone’s nonprofit tech family reunion. We really do want the conference to be all about you (all of “you”) and part of making that happen is ensuring that you (again, all of “you”) let us make it the best experience it can be: if something is confusing, ask; if you need help, let us know; if there’s something we can help you with, just say so; if we can give you a hug, high five, point in the right direction, or a bandaid, we gladly will! NTEN staff will be stationed at customer service and registration at all times, as well as walking the halls to connect with attendees. We are there to help you have a great time!